Caster



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Patented Feb. 1. 1921'.

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R. T. WALTONgAND I. E. MACDONALD.

M PLVICATIDN FILED AUG27| 1920.

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Specification ol' Letters Patent.

Patented Feb.`1,l1921.

Application filed August 2?, 1920. Serial lilo. M6328.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, Bonnin" T. lillni.- TON and JOHN lil. MiioloNALn,citizens ot the United States, residing in the city and county ofPhiladelphia, State oi Pennsyl- Vania, have invented a new and usefulCaster, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention consists of a caster in which provision is made 'foradjusting' the height of the saine relatively to the leg, foot or baseof a piece oi furniture, or other article, and for leveling; the casterrelatively to the door on which the roller runs, to which the caster isapplied, and further ol" the provision for retaining, the pintle oli thecaster in said leg, foot or base without liability to drop therefrom,but which is removable when so required..

The invention is satisfactorily illustrated in the accompanying drawing,but the iin portant instrumentalities thereof may be varied, and so itis to be understood that the invention is not limitedto the specific details shown and described, as long as they are within the spirit orscope of the claims.

Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a caster embodying ourinvention, and a vertical section of a leg of a piece of furniture towhich it is applied.

Fig. 2 represents a vertical section thereof on line 2-2 Fig. 1. 4

Figi. 3 represents a side elevation oit' the caster certain portionsirai/'ingn been removed therefrom. v

Fig. 4 represents a perspective view of a thimble employed.

Fig. 5 represents a perspectiye view of a bushing employed.

Similar numerals ofl reference indicate corresponding parts in thefigures.

Reli'errinxiiF to the drawings,

1 designates the roller of the caster, it the ears on which the aide 3ot the saine is mounted, d the pintle which is connected at its bottomwith the crown portion or conM nesting plate ot said ears, its opper portionbeing adaptedto enter the lee.r fix (or other portion oil a piecelof furniture) or other article to which the caster is applied.

0n the portion oi the piiitle d above the crown '5 is the channel plateG foi-mini,r a race to receive the balls Z which are adapted to roll onthe crown 5 and are retained thereon by said plate 6, thus providingball btuiringsV tor the contiguous parts, and which oi themselves areknown in the art.

rlhe spindle i has thereon sorew-threads 8 with which engages thefollower or nut--` like member 9, they same being adapted to be screwednp or down on said spindle for leveling purposes.

10 designates a base plate which has thereon upwardly extending teeth11, it beingadapted to have the bottom of the leg 4"" seated on it, andsaid teeth being adapted to be driven into or engage said bottom, thusconnecting said plate with said leg, said base having; centrally thereinan openingto allow the pintle Ll to pass 'freely therethrongl'i, itbeing noticed that said `plate 1d rests on said follower, and so it maybe raised and lowered by the latter on the `pintle.

ltisingv from the center of the base is the tubular thiinble 12 whichfreely encircles the pintle Il, and may be raised and lowered with theplate 10 for primarily adjusting the height of said thiinble, it beingnoticed that on the upper end of the latter is' the conical head 13 andthat said thimble is conical in torni, its diameter at the top beingsomewhat less than the diameter of the pintle and considerably less thanthe diameter of the head 13, consequently the pintle cannot drop throughsaid thiinble and from. the leg,r vll" and so the caster retains itsconnection with the latter.

lin order to render the thiinble Vresilient whereby it `may he expanded,the upper portion oir" the'side is ont through 'forming the taperingslits lll which divide the said ripper portieri and permit the latter totitl spread apart whereby when the spindle is inserted into thetliiinble, the head 13 expands the upper narrow portion of the thimbleand so said headis caused. to pass through said portion. rlhen when thehead clears the top edge oli the thiinble, the ripper narrow portierioit the latter contracts and springs onder the head i3, the head thenoverhanpnnpr' the top odge oit the tliiinble,

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whereby said head is prevented trom rellltiy 11oI lll the divided wallsthereof and so said head and the pintle may .slide through the thimbleand the base plate 10 and be removed thereby from then latter, thecaster thus being detach'ed from the leg.

To prevent the threads o' the pintle en aging the inner bore ofthethirnble there 1s placed within the latter the nnx'ahreaded sleeve 15Which encircles freely the pintle as a bushing and is encircled freelyby the thimbl'e, and so the pintle has the greatest freedom of rotarymotion in the leg Il* as the roller of the caster performs itsoperations.

The sleeve or bushing l5 rests' on the follower 9 and so follows theadjustment of the thimble up or down.

lThe thirnble is not necessarily conical throughout its entire length,so the lower portion thereof may be cylindrical so as to fit snugly inthe bore of the leg to hold it steady and without wabhlingl therein.Having thus described our invention what we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a caster, a roller, a bearing for the latter;4 a threaded pintleconnected with :said bearings and risingr therefrom and having a conicalhead, a follower on said pintle,

a'conical thimble' adapted t`o freely encircle aggortion of said pintleand to be engaged by said follower whereby said thiinble may he adjustedvertically by said follower, said thimble being adapted to be retainedfreely on said pintle.

2. In. a Caster, a roller.y a bearingF for the latter, a pintleconnected with said bearing and having a conical head. and a thinibleadapted to encircle said pintle freely, said thirnble being adapted tocontract on said pintle below said head and connect the thiinble freelytherewith and to expand to permit the introduction of the pintle intosaid thiinble and to permit it to be removed therefrom.

B. In a castor, a roller, a hearing for the latter` a. threadedpintle.lconnectible with said bearing, a thinible adapted to encirclefreely said pintle, a bushing interposed hetween said pintle andthilnble to prevent engagement of the threads oi the former with thehere of the latter, and a Jfollower on said pintle adapted to adjustsaid thixnllle in height and against which said thilnhle and bushingrest.

ROBERT '.l. WLTON. JOHN ll. MACDONALD.

Witnesses Jenn A. ll'linnnnsirnmi, F. A. NEWTON.

